Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals mRNA and Alternative Splicing Events in Ovine Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells during Proliferation and Differentiation

Skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs), which are highly multifunctional muscle-derived stem cells, play an essential role in myogenesis and regeneration. Here, the transcriptional profile of SMSCs during proliferation and differentiation were constructed using the RNA-Seq method. A total of 1954 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 1092 differentially alternative splicing genes (DAGs) were identified including 1288 upregulated genes as well as 666 downregulated genes. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the DEGs and DAGs were enriched in the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway, the PI3K-Akt (phosphatidylinositol-tris-phosphate kinase 3/protein kinase B) signaling pathway, the Wnt signaling pathway, and the Ras signaling pathway. In total, 1479 alternative splice events (AS) were also identified during SMSC proliferation and differentiation. Among them, a unique AS event was the major per-mRNA splicing type, and SE was the predominant splicing pattern. Furthermore, transcription factors with AS were scanned during SMSC differentiation such as myocyte enhancer factor-2C (MEF2C) and the nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 2 (NR4A2). Our results imply that MEF2C and NR4A2 can interact, and we speculate that NR4A2 and MEF2C might regulate the myogenesis of ovine SMSCs through interaction. Together, our study provides useful information on the transcriptional regulation of SMSCs during proliferation and differentiation at the transcriptional level, and provides a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanism of myogenesis and muscle development.